Bone and cartilage defects, either individually or in combination, result from a wide variety of congenital anomalies, traumatic injury, and cancer extirpation. These defects are generally treated with autologous grafts that require a secondary surgical site, and can be associated with significant donor-site morbidity. The capacity of tissue engineering to provide solutions to these challenges is significant. The availability and versatility of mammalian mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for potential applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has immense potential [1], [2], [3].
What are needed, then, are new strategies, methods, systems, devices and apparatuses for engineering a tissue from stem cells. The presently disclosed subject matter addresses this and other needs in the art.